Chromolaena Odorata

An Assessment of the Genetic Diversity and Origin of the Invasive Weed Chromolaena Odorata (L.) King and Robinson in South Africa
A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE of RHODES UNIVERSITY by INGE VON SENGER July 2002

“C. odorata is regarded as the worst alien invasive plant species in the subtropical regions of South Africa”

“It is an aggressive, fastgrowing weed (Liggitt, 1983), which is said to have one of the greatest impacts of all alien invasive
plants in the Old World tropics and subtropics (Zachariades et al., 1999)”

“Plant diversity has been reduced in reserves, affecting all other dependant life forms (Coetsee, 1995)”

This species has been nominated as among 100 of the “World’s Worst” invaders

It causes skin complaints and asthma

It is toxic to animals

It’s beneficial uses are as green manure crop, to repel mosquitoes and snakes, fish poison, and repels rodents from maize

In the Global Invasive Species website, it says “is sometimes encouraged for use in shifting slash-and-burn agriculture to compete with Imperata cylindrica (alang alang or cogon grass), which is harder to control”